


Zenith

by charis_nikola



Series: The Golden Sun [4]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Possible Character Death, romance kinda picks up but not really heh, semi-slow build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23960920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charis_nikola/pseuds/charis_nikola
Summary: As Lirah and Ibis continue on their journey, they encounter some new faces in the land of the Moonshadow elves.
Relationships: Aaravos & Aditi (The Dragon Prince), Avizandum | Thunder/Zubeia, Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Ibis (The Dragon Prince)/Original Female Character(s), Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince)
Series: The Golden Sun [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1682155
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaaaa I'm back and ready to get on with Book 4! I'm excited for y'all to read it!
> 
> Big thanks to CosmotheEgg for being such a fantastic beta!

This was awkward. Ibis and Lirah had been traveling through the forest for some time, but ever since the Soulfang Serpent encounter in the Midnight Desert, they haven’t spoken a single word towards each other. In fact, whenever they would stop, she usually would help Ibis set up their small camp for the occasional rest and recuperation, but whenever she would go over to help him, he would immediately blush and move at least two trees away from her and would not talk to her. 

When this happened the first time, Lirah didn’t think too much of it. After all, Ibis was a guy and even she knew that guys needed their personal space. However, as this became more frequent during their travels, Lirah grew irritated at their continuous silence and didn’t like it at all. She considered herself to be a very talkative person. She couldn’t handle silence, especially an awkward silence. 

This was her best friend and all he kept doing was looking at her, coughing, and then looking away. Lirah was sick of it and she could feel her hands heating up from her anger. She then inhaled and closed her eyes while letting out a slow exhale. 

Calm yourself Lirah. Getting hot-headed with your best friend is not the way to go, especially in an enchanted forest, she thought to herself. She didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to the two of them during their exploration.

Ibis continued to occasionally glance at her and opened his mouth to say something but would close it seconds later. Lirah noticed and her eye twitched in irritation. She couldn’t take it anymore and turned to face Ibis. “What is it?! What are you trying to say?! Every time you open your mouth to speak, you keep closing it and I’m sick of it! You’ve been acting this way since we left the Midnight Desert and it’s pissing me off! Best friends aren’t supposed to have awkward silences like this, Ibis!” 

Ibis coughed slightly and awkwardly looked around her. “Look, I’m sorry...also...don’t panic, but I’ve noticed that we’ve been followed for the past few minutes.” 

When he said this, Lirah stopped and yanked on the cuff of his sleeve as she glared at him and angrily whispered, “Were you ever planning on telling me this?!” 

Ibis nervously smiled at her. “I honestly didn’t think it would come up and thought that whoever it was would eventually just go away!” 

Lirah’s eye twitched even more as she prevented herself from yelling at him. “You didn’t think it would-!” She cut herself off and closed her eyes while trying to calm herself down once again as she internally counted back to one. 

Knowing that it wouldn’t be a good idea to kill her best friend, Lirah flared her nostrils and continued on through the forest, hearing the footsteps of Ibis running after her.

With a passive-aggressive glower on her face, Lirah rubbed the bridge of her nose and she decided to pause briefly while scanning the tall trees in the forest. Upon hearing her stop, Ibis turned to face her in confusion, wondering why Lirah had stopped walking in the middle of the forest. 

“Lirah..what are you doing?” He whispered.

Lirah glared over at him. “You said we were being followed right?”

Ibis nodded nervously, not liking where she was going with her question.

Lirah hummed then she crossed her arms. “Then let us see who would dare to cower in the shadows.”

Ibis’ eyes widened in shock and he urgently tugged on her arm. “Lirah, no!”

Sneering at him, she yanked her arm away from him and called out into the forest. “Show yourself, coward!”

Ibis shushed her. “Lirah shut up!”

Lirah ignored him and called out again. “Who gave you the right to sneak up on me?! Come down and face me you ungrateful little-” She was interrupted by Ibis’ indigo hand quickly covering her mouth before she could say anymore.

Ibis glared at her. “Lirah you need to be quiet. We don’t know who’s out there or who they are! We have to be respectful!” When her expression softened slightly, he slowly removed his hand from her face, thinking that she was done with her little outburst. Big mistake.

As soon as he removed his hand, Lirah shoved Ibis away from her and she pulled out her bo-staff before yelling out again. “Are you scared, coward?! You should be!” 

Right after she yelled out her insult, Lirah jumped back when ten elves appeared out of nowhere with their weapons drawn. Ibis gulped and Lirah moved closer to them while getting in her fighting stance. 

Their hair was whiter than snow, and their markings were purple, along with their horns, although some of them varied in color. Lirah’s eyes narrowed in realization as she knew what they were. Moonshadow elves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment and leave kudos! As I said, I love interacting with y'all and would really appreciate reading your feedback on future books/chapters!


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I'm sorry for the late update! My beta and I have been pretty busy with finals week (well at least I have xD)
> 
> Y'all are in for a treat today! We get to meet one of our faves today! If you haven't guessed who it is then you'll find out in this chapter ;)
> 
> As always, thanks CosmotheEgg for beta-reading, and I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

While she personally didn’t despise Moonshadow elves, Lirah was raised to think herself as higher than most and as such, she didn’t think that the ten didn’t pose much of a threat. Lirah firmly stood her ground, while Ibis shifted nervously next to her. 

After waiting for them to attack, Lirah hid her surprise when instead, one of the Moonshadow elves moved towards her. He was young, but clearly a few years older than her and Ibis, and definitely looked authoritative especially considering the fact that he was taller than her and Ibis and the elves with him. She shifted back as he approached her, but he didn’t seem to be preparing for an attack.

From his stance, Lirah could tell that he was clearly the leader of the ten Moonshadow elves, but she didn’t feel threatened at all, despite feeling like holes were being burned into her face from his glare. When he finally stopped in front of her, Lirah took the time to observe his person. 

She couldn’t deny the fact that he was very handsome and saw that he had long white hair that was pulled back with two draping ponytails in the front. The elf also had distinctive triangular markings with the larger one being shaped like a crown that was etched across his nose. 

Lirah then noticed his weapon, which appeared to be a massive bow that seemed to be formed by two swords merged together. She was very impressed and intrigued by it, and she noted to herself that whoever had crafted it clearly knew what they were doing, especially when she then noticed the intricate, detailed carvings that were displayed on the handle of the weapon.

Lirah was taken out of her observation when the elf in front of her finally broke his silence and spoke in a stern voice with a thick accent. “Do you still think us to be cowards, little Sunfire elf?” 

Lirah would not let herself be intimidated and glared up at him. “I was taught not to fear those who falsely advertise their strength.” 

From behind her, Ibis nudged Lirah’s arm and muttered. “Now is not the time for this, Lirah. Seeing as we have intruded upon the territory of the Moonshadow elves, we are at their mercy. If your grandmother were here and knew that you picked a fight, then she would-” 

Lirah cut him off throwing a sidelong glare towards Ibis. “Well, she can’t do anything because she’s not here.” Turning back to the tall elf in front of her, Lirah glanced up at him. “Now, unlike him, I will speak for myself and say that I am not afraid of you, Moonshadow elf.” 

The same elf crossed his arms and observed her for a moment. Lirah knew that this could possibly be the end for her, and if it was then she wouldn’t cower in the face of death. She would go down fighting if that’s what it came to. 

Then after another period of silence, the elf’s face broke out into a grimace and he motioned for the other elves to lower their weapons. Lirah’s eyes darted around in shock when the rest of the elves lowered their weapons. She honestly thought that he would’ve killed her for her rude remarks. 

“For someone so small, you have heart. Lirah, I believe? Hm...You must be the Sunfire Queen’s granddaughter.” 

Lirah shifted back warily. “You know me?” 

The Moonshadow elf didn’t look amused. “You shouldn’t pretend to be so clueless, Sunfire princess. We may be Moonshadow elves, but we are very attuned to the news that travels across Xadia. We were surprised when we heard about the Sunfire Queen’s granddaughter leaving her supposed haven in Lux Aurea. Also, the majority of Xadia knows who you are just from your name and from seeing your markings.” 

Lirah cleared her throat and glanced away from the older Moonshadow elf, who spoke again. “Now are you two going to stand there until nightfall? Or are you going to come with us and accept our offer of food and shelter before you two continue your journey?” 

Lirah was shocked once again. Not only were they not killing her, but they were also offering her and Ibis a place to stay while they traveled. She then glanced down as she knew that she had greatly misjudged Moonshadow elves.

While she was pondering her thoughts, Ibis had spoken up for her, “Yes sir, we humbly accept your offer.” 

He then strolled past Lirah and ignored her, much to her dismay. Lirah figured that he was most likely mad at the stunt she pulled earlier. Lirah then followed after Ibis and the Moonshadow elves, who performed a dance ritual that revealed their village to the two outsiders. Upon witnessing and being apart of this dance, Lirah thought that it was really neat to take part in, even if she didn’t want to admit it aloud. 

The Moonshadow elf who spoke from before walked next to Lirah as the group entered the village. “Welcome to the Silvergrove. My name is Runaan.” 

Lirah nods and looks up at him. “It’s nice to meet you Runaan. Thank you for letting Ibis and I stay here for the time being.”

Lirah glanced around at everything within the village. Everything about it was beautiful, There were stairs that spiraled around the tall trees, many of which had doors. She assumed that these were the lodgings of those who lived in the village. On the ground, the grass was greener than what she had seen in Lux Aurea, and there were many buildings and gazebos that resembled the color of the moon. 

From what she saw, their community was very close. It reminded her of home. Biting her lip, she turned away and searched for Ibis, who had left the group to talk with a girl about their age. She watched his eyes widen as the girl performed magic and she flared her nostrils in annoyance. Ugh, she was clearly a moon mage.

Lirah then saw him get up and go with the girl. Clenching her fists, she hid her anger and continued to make conversation with Runaan. “So from what I saw, you’re clearly the leader of the Moonshadow assassins. How is that possible? You look older than me but not by much.” 

Runaan kept an impassive look on his face and spoke as though he was annoyed with the question. “Skills, but also because I’ve trained the longest.” 

Lirah grinned ignoring his attitude. “That’s really neat! Do you think you could teach me how to fight?” 

Runaan scoffed softly. “I think you already know how to do that.” 

Lirah shook her head. “If you’re talking about fighting with magic then that’s not what I mean. This is for when I can’t always rely on my magic to get me through whatever it is I’m facing.”

Upon hearing that answer, Runaan curiously observed her for a moment then he shrugged. “We’ll see. For now, you must come with me. Your friend will be able to find us later. I will show you where you will be staying. Once you get settled, feel free to socialize with everyone.” 

Lirah then nodded and followed Runaan, eager to see what waited for her within the Silvergrove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment and leave kudos if you enjoyed the chapter! Ik I keep saying this, but I really love interacting and talking with y'all!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone I am back and finally finished with my second year of college!!! This chapter was extremely fun for me to write because...well...you'll see ;)
> 
> This chapter was once again beta-read by CosmotheEgg (thank you so much you're amazing!)
> 
> Also, as you read, there is a little song that I used as a reference of an event that occurs within the chapter, so when the time comes, feel free to click on the link [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqDtpVZTu_Q) (although it might be a good idea to open it in new tab so that you don't completely lose track of the story)
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Lirah was in the middle of getting settled in the small house that Runaan had shown her when someone had silently opened the door and peered into the room. “Is everything good in here?” 

Lirah yelped and dropped the items that she had in her hand, causing the elf to wince apologetically. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve knocked.” 

After she quickly picked up her stuff, she turned to see who had entered the room. The elf had short, cropped white hair, and he was very tan. He also had a really thick accent, and he looked like he had just come from a forge, for his clothes were covered in dirt. 

Lirah smiled. “It’s alright! Come in. I don’t think we’ve met yet.” 

The elf grinned and entered the room. “I hope you know that the Silvergrove has been buzzing since your arrival. It’s not every day where we get to encounter a Sunfire elf and a Skywing elf at once.” 

Lirah laughed slightly. “Must be nice. I’m Lirahna, but I also go by Lirah.” 

The elf shook her hand with a kind smile. “It’s nice to meet you Lirah. My name is Ethari.” 

Lirah smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet you Ethari. Thank you for being so welcome and for letting my friend and I stay here.” 

Ethari waved his hand absentmindedly. “No need to thank me. I happen to enjoy having guests! Let me know when you’re finished getting settled in. Some of my friends wanted to meet you and your friend. Said you might know them. Or at least your Skywing elf friend would.” 

Lirah tilted her head in curiosity, then she nodded. “I’m actually pretty much done getting my stuff together.” 

Ethari nods and suddenly his eyes, that were clearly fixated on something, widened drastically. “Is that a handcrafted bo-staff?” 

Lirah glanced over to where he was looking at and beamed at him. “Yes, it is! My sister, Janai, helped me make it in the Sunforge before I left Lux Aurea!” 

Ethari was entranced. “Amazing! May I have a look at it? That is if you don’t mind, of course.” 

Lirah shook her head, “I don’t mind at all.” Then, she went over and got her bo staff before she handed it to him. “You have a very good eye. How is that so?” 

Ethari chuckled while carefully handling her golden bo staff. “Well, my nickname in the Silvergrove is ‘Tinker.’ I handcraft the weapons for the Moonshadow assassins before their missions. Although some of them think that I’m biased towards one of them.” 

It then dawned on Lirah that he was the one who had crafted Runaan’s weapon. When he mentioned having a bias towards one of the elves, Lirah’s curiosity grew. “Who?” 

Ethari winked at her before carefully setting her bo staff on her bed. “You’ll see. C’mon. It’s nearly sunset and the festival is about to start! You don’t want to miss the dances!” 

Lirah didn’t know what festival he was speaking of, but she knew that he would eventually mention it once they got to where they were. And when he happened to mention dancing, her excitement grew and she went with Ethari.

Upon entering the main area of the Silvergrove, Ethari led Lirah over to four people. Two whom she didn’t know, Runaan, and then Ibis, who was chatting animatedly with the two that she couldn’t recognize. However, she didn’t see the girl that he had been hanging out with earlier. 

It seemed that Ibis had left his moon mage, Lirah smugly thought to herself. Good. Then she wouldn’t have to hog his attention. As soon as that thought left her mind, Lirah blinked, suddenly confused. Where did that come from? Furrowing her eyebrows slightly at her abnormal thoughts, she then shrugged, pushed them back to the mind, and continued on with Ethari.

When Lirah and Ethari reunited with Runaan and the others, her jaw dropped when Ethari planted a kiss on Runaan’s lips. And what made it even more interesting, was seeing Runaan’s deep blush on his cheeks. Now, Lirah considered herself to be very in tune with her elf intuition, but she definitely did not see that coming.

Lirah blinked a few times and watched them in wonder before it all clicked. Upon entering the Silvergrove when she was talking with Runaan, she had noticed a moon opal around his neck. Fast forward to when she was talking with Ethari, she also noticed a moon opal around his neck as well. And then he mentioned being biased towards someone. 

“Oh my gosh! You!” She pointed at Runaan. “And you!” She pointed at Ethari. 

By then both elves had amused smirks on their faces. Well, more like one elf had an amused grin on his face. Runaan looked like he wanted to jump down a well. Lirah stuttered as she continued to point at them. “You two are together! It all makes sense now!” 

Ethari laughed. “Yes, we are together, we actually just got engaged you see.”

Lirah smiled at that. “Aw, congratulations! When’s the wedding?” 

Ethari grinned. “It’s in a few weeks. Runaan didn’t want an elaborate wedding so we didn’t have to spend a long time planning it. You’re welcome to come!”

Lirah’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? I mean...it’s such an intimate event...you’d really want me there even though we just met?”

Ethari laughed at her hesitation. “Lirah, you and Ibis are literally living in our guest house, I really don’t mind. And I’m pretty sure Runaan wouldn’t mind either.” He then nudged Runaan, who scoffed at that and quickly looked away, prompting Ethari to grin at his behavior.

Lirah then bit her lip with a small smile. “Okay. If you’re alright with me being there, then I’d love to come.”

Ethari’s smile grew tremendously and Lirah was suddenly glad that she didn’t say no. As she got situated on the ground next to Ethari, the latter nudged Lirah, bringing her into the conversation that the elves across from them were having with Ibis. “So Lirah, I wanted you to meet two of my best friends. This is Tiadrin and Lain. They just got married and recently joined the Dragonguard, but Tiadrin just learned that she is expecting, so they’ve taken a brief leave from the position to prepare for the arrival of their child.” 

Ethari then leaned in to whisper to Lirah. “Also heads up. Don’t call her Tia. She hates that. Lain made the mistake of doing that when they first started dating and...it really didn’t end well for him.” Lirah’s eyes widened and she observed the two.

The female and male paused their conversation with Ibis and waved to her with a smile. The female, Tiadrin, reached out to shake her hand, which she did while observing Lirah as well. Lirah smiled at her. She was really pretty and clearly similar in age to Runaan and Ethari. Her white hair was short, just barely reaching past her neck, and she was petite but clearly taller than Lirah. 

Tiadrin spoke first. “It’s really nice to meet you, Lirah. Ibis wouldn’t stop talking about you and the adventures that you’ve had thus far.” 

Lirah smiled. “It’s nice to meet you two as well. If I may ask, how do you know Ibis?”

That was when Lain spoke up. “Tiadrin and I had visited Storm Spire to hopefully pass the test to become members of the Dragonguard. Your friend Ibis was there for some mage training and we happened to meet him. Been friends ever since. It’s good to know that he’s hanging with the right crowd.” 

Lirah laughed as she glanced over to Ibis. “I’m not sure if I would consider myself the right crowd, but thanks anyway. Like I said it’s really nice to meet you both.” 

She then shifted to make conversation with Ibis, who was staring at the ground in contemplation. Lirah nudged him. “You okay? You seem deep in thought.” 

Ibis jumped slightly and nodded with a smile. “Yeah. I was just thinking about my moon mage friend that I met earlier. Her name is Talis and she’s really cool. I’d love for you to meet her. I was going to try and introduce you two during the festival, but I figured she’s probably with her family.” 

Ouch. Lirah didn’t know why she hoped Ibis was thinking about her instead, but she wished that were the case. She prevented herself from looking disappointed and kept a false smile on her face. “Oh, I mean...yeah...that would be fun, I guess..” 

When she said that, Ibis’s expression became hopeful. “You’d really want to meet her? Really?”

Lirah had a small smile on her face and she nodded. “Yeah, she seems to make you happy...and if you’re happy then I guess I’m happy.” Little did Ibis know, she was definitely not happy.

At that, Ibis smiled at her. “I can’t wait for you to meet her Lirah. She’s awesome!” Lirah’s heart sank and she lowered her head as she played with the grass, clearly not noticing another’s eyes staring upon her with sadness. 

After a few minutes of eating and chatting, a melodic sound caused Lirah’s ears to twitch slightly and she peered up to see what was going on. A group of Moonshadow elves were playing different acoustic instruments while others danced around the fire in the center. Lirah leaned forward in curiosity when a voice spoke next to her. “They’re celebrating the festival. The one I mentioned earlier.” It was Ethari who spoke to her. 

Lirah was confused. “What festival?” 

Ethari grinned. “The Festival of the Half-Moon. Initiated by the first Moonshadow elves in honor of the Moon Archdragon, Luna Tenebris. Her birthday is on the day of the Half-Moon.” Lirah’s eyes widened as excited shouts rang from many Moonshadow elves in the Silvergrove, and many more joined the dancing group in the center. 

Lirah was enamored with what she witnessed. It was amazing to see a culture come together and celebrate with one another about something so simple. Seeing this brought back memories from when she was still in Lux Aurea. She loved to dance, and when she was younger, she would often dance with her eldest sister, Khessa.

They would even put on annual shows together during similar festivals for all of the elves of Lux Aurea. Lirah wistfully stared at the dancing group once again. She longed to go out there. To dance with them, just to be reminded of her childhood. Ethari noticed this and nudged her with a smile. “Go out there, Lirah.” 

Lirah’s eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. “Oh no, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to-” 

Ethari cut her off with a laugh. “Lirah, I assure you, they won’t mind. In fact, outsiders are encouraged to join whether they celebrate the festival or not!” 

Lirah shifted nervously. “Are you sure? I don’t want to make a fool of myself.” 

Ethari sighed with a soft smile. “I promise you won’t make a fool of yourself. Come on, let’s go together.” 

Feeling more confident, Lirah went with Ethari towards the large group that continued to move to the beat of the music. Upon joining, Ethari nudged her into the center of the dancing group, who paused in their moves, for they eagerly wanted to see the Sunfire elf dance. 

Upon noticing everyone’s eyes on her, Lirah nearly froze but began to dance, albeit timidly to the fast-paced tune. She then closed her eyes and instead focused on the fiddles and the lutes that were in sync as the drums entered in on the fifth repetition of the chorus.

Lirah felt herself loosen up as her movements mimicked the elaborate melody, and they became more graceful, more agile, and she added a few twirls in her routine, causing some ‘oohs’ from the crowd. Over time, her movements were fluid as the music sped up and she included flawless leaps and flips that the crowd seemed to enjoy and they not only clapped along to the beat but they clapped along to Lirah’s rhythm each time she did a twirl.

As she performed, she opened her eyes and made eye contact with a pair of blue ones. Smiling, Lirah twirled through the crowd and over to Ibis during the slow middle half of the tune. She gripped his hand and pulled him out into the center of the bonfire. “Dance with me Ibis!” 

Ibis glanced around nervously. “In front of everyone?” 

Lirah nods excitedly. “Yes! Just do what I do.” Lirah then did a little leap and gracefully, but slowly positioned her feet as she walked in a semi-circle around Ibis.

Catching onto her movements, Ibis did the same, but in reverse and the two interlocked hands as they danced to the fast tune. Lirah laughed joyfully as Ibis seemed to get the hang of the beat and they hardly paid attention to the crowd as they moved together in sync. The tune then resumed it’s normal speed as Ibis and Lirah put on an elaborate show. 

At the climax of the tune, Ibis twirled Lirah’s body and she used her magic to hoist herself into the air with the flames flickering around her, and after doing a pirouette, she landed on the ground with a final pose.

There was a deafening silence other than the flicker of the flames. Lirah opened her eyes and nervously glanced at the crowd. Most of them had their jaws dropped, for they had never seen anything like it. The audience suddenly roared with applause, causing Lirah to break out into a smile as the two of them bowed at the applause. Many of them soon approached the two and expressed their joy at seeing someone from outside the Silvergrove take part in their festival.

After finishing her conversation with the majority of the Moonshadow elves, Ibis and Lirah’s new group of friends made their way over to congratulate them. Ibis smiled at Lirah. “That was amazing. I didn’t know you could dance like that.” 

Lirah laughed. “Speak for yourself. I didn’t know you could dance at all! I assumed you always had two left feet.” Ibis rolled his eyes as their group greeted them.

Standing with Runaan, Ethari made eye contact with her and gave her a thumbs up. Lirah beamed at him, and he winked at her before turning back to Runaan. Tiadrin, who was standing next to Ibis and Lain, gently punched her in the arm with a grin. “So...it seems like the Sunfire Princess does more than just pick fights, am I right?” 

Lirah blushed, suddenly embarrassed at her own behavior from earlier in the day. Tiadrin laughed. “Relax, you know I’m kidding. That surprisingly shocks people for some reason.” 

Lirah, feeling more at ease, laughed with her. “You remind me a bit of my older sister Janai. A lot of people take her way too seriously and she definitely gets a kick out of it.” 

Tiadrin grinned cheekily as they continued their conversation and grew closer to one another. The group laughed and celebrated with one another as the night went on, and it was at that moment when she was lounging around with the people who welcomed her here, where Lirah knew that she was right where she was supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the dance, I really got some Aang and Katara vibes from the "The Headband." in Book 3! If you haven't seen Avatar the Last Airbender, go check it out! It's one of my faaaaavorite shows! As always, feel free to comment and leave kudos! Love you guys!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sorry for the lack of updates these past couple weeks! I have been focusing on multiple writing projects and other things while also preparing to start my online courses for the summer. My updates probably won't be as consistent since I'm trying to figure out a new schedule to post chapters and the updates will most likely be once a week if I'm not too busy with what I'm working on. Butttt while y'all are here, I would love to direct you to one of my current writing projects that I'm working on with a friend! If you're a Star Wars fan then please consider reading [Anakin's Sister by writer_rach](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21589099/chapters/51475711)
> 
> Also, yes I am sure some of you have noticed that I changed my paragraph format style, and I'm hoping to shift it to where the entire series is formatted like that (unfortunately, it won't let me change the paragraph format when I'm editing so I'll probably have to delete and repost the chapter which I'm definitely not looking forward to doing)
> 
> As usual this chapter is beta-read by CosmotheEgg so thank you so much! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

The next morning, Lirah woke up to the sound of someone training, but she was irritated at their decision to train so early in the morning when most elves were still asleep. She glanced over to the other bed across the room and saw that Ibis was still asleep. In fact, he was completely knocked out and blissfully unaware of the grunts outside their window. This along, along with the elf who disrupted her sleep, made Lirah very irate.

After getting dressed and putting on her long-sleeved shirt, leggings, and boots, Lirah stormed outside to yell at whoever would have the audacity to disturb her sleep. However, upon seeing who it was, Lirah immediately backtracked and turned to go back inside. 

The elf called out to her. “I know you’re there Lirah. Your footsteps are very loud.” 

Lirah sighed and went out to Runaan, who paused his training to look over at her. She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. You just..kinda woke me up. And I’m a light sleeper.” 

Runaan glanced down at her for a brief moment then set his weapons down with another impassive look. “I apologize.” 

Lirah looked around the quiet forest. The stars were slightly present in the sky and it wasn’t dawn yet. “Do you always get up this early to train?” 

Runaan nodded. “Yes, I believe that being productive at an early time will help my senses become more attuned. Everything is quiet except for the sounds of the birds and the trees and in this environment, I am able to hear even the faintest of sounds, like your boots stepping in the grass.” 

Lirah was amazed. Runaan was better in tune with his senses than she was! And that was one of the first lessons that she learned when she trained to become the future Sunfire mage of Lux Aurea. 

She realized then, that being in tune with one’s senses would be the key to survival. Ibis was already attuned to his. If he hadn’t been, then he wouldn’t have known about the Moonshadow elves following them in the forest. 

Lirah’s resolve was hardened as she walked up to Runaan and looked him confidently in the eyes. “I want you to teach me. Please.” 

Runaan stared at her emotionless before glancing away from her and walking away. Lirah’s heart began to sink in disappointment before he turned his head to look at her. “Are you coming or not?” 

Lirah then perked up with excitement and nodded. “Yes of course! I need to get my bo staff first.” 

At that, Runaan sighed and shook his head in exasperation. “You have twenty seconds to get it. Go.” 

Lirah hurried back to the small cottage and she quickly got her bo staff and made it back before the time was up. 

Runaan observed her bo staff then he turned around and darted into the forest unexpectedly. Lirah deadpanned and stared after him. At the realization that he wouldn’t be coming back or much less waiting for her, Lirah quickly dashed after him and followed Runaan into the forest. After a few minutes of constant sprinting, Lirah was struggling to breathe. 

He was so fast, and she needed to catch up to him. She needed to learn how to become in tune with her senses again. Knowledge was very important to her. Upon knowing that she wouldn’t catch up with Runaan, Lirah stopped running and collapsed to the ground, breathing hard. This was hopeless, he was probably miles away from where she was. Definitely long gone. 

Panting hard, Lirah closed her eyes and sat back on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Opening her eyes, she barely had time to move when Runaan, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly leaped out of a tree and swiped at her with one of his swords. Lirah quickly ducked out of the way and twirled her bo staff in her hand. She was so out of breath and now he wanted to spar? 

Lirah’s chest heaved as she got in her fighting stance and stared at Runaan. Runaan narrowed his eyes at her. “Rule number one: Never drop your guard for an instant.” 

He then ran to the side and leaped off one of the nearby trees before swinging at her, Lirah jumped back and barely blocked his next attack with her staff. Runaan swung at her head, causing Lirah to yelp in alarm and she rolled away from him. 

She wasn’t able to fight back, and she could barely defend herself from his brutal attacks. They just kept coming, with Lirah only using her staff to block them. Seeing her way of escape, Lirah lunged up and quickly grabbed ahold of the tree branch while her legs dangled in the air. Runaan glared up at her and threw one of his swords at the tree branch she was on, and it slowly gave way. Runaan threw his second sword in the same spot and this time, the branch broke from Lirah’s weight, as well as his sword.

Lirah landed on the ground with a thud and felt the wind being knocked out of her from the impact. Her bo staff landed a few steps away from her. Lirah wheezed as she crawled over to get her bo staff. As she reached for it, Runaan had somehow managed to get both swords out of the fallen tree branch and when she turned around, the two swords were pressed against the tip of her throat. 

Lirah glanced at the sword against her throat and her breathing rapidly increased from the fear of potentially dying in the empty forest. She let her head rest on the grass and let out a sigh of relief when Runaan moved the sword and held out his hand to help her up. Lirah looked at his hand then up at Runaan warily. 

The Moonshadow elf scoffed and rolled his eyes. “This isn’t a trick. Just take my hand Lirah. I won’t offer it again.”

After a few minutes, Lirah cautiously took his hand and got up. She waited until she finally caught her breath before yelling up at him. “What. In Avizandum’s name. Was that?! You could’ve killed me! How was I supposed to prepare myself for that?!” 

Runaan crossed his arms with an apathetic expression on his face. “You weren’t. I wanted to see how well you kept your senses attuned when weak. I will admit that you dodged...okay...but it could’ve been better. We will work on that while you are here. We will also help you improve in your offensive attacks and your defensive blocking.” 

Lirah could hardly believe what she was hearing. This whole thing was a test? The only thing preventing her from kicking Runaan at that moment, was the fact that she was tired and that he had weapons that he could easily kill her with. She angrily clenched her fists, but at his look, she sagged in defeat and nodded. Runaan then turned around and went back in the direction that he came from. “Let’s get started then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, please leave comments or kudos if you enjoyed the chapter! I've missed interacting with y'all!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my Goddddd it's really been a while! I apologize once again for the lack of updates! I've been working on other writing projects and while also doing that, I've been dealing with summer classes for my university.
> 
> I'll try to update whenever I can, and I just want to thank [ CosmotheEgg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmoTheEgg/pseuds/CosmoTheEgg) for being patient with me and for continuing to beta-read my stuff! I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

That night, Lirah was exhausted. Runaan had her training for hours and she was very surprised that she had made it through her first official day of training. Now, all she wanted as she finished bathing, was a good night’s sleep. She changed into her last set of clean nightclothes and got into her bed, being very careful not to disturb or wake Ibis in the process. Lirah then burrowed herself in the covers and hoped to get a good rest. That did not happen.

Right after she fell asleep, Lirah was plagued by dreams and events, some of which had already occurred, and some which seemed...unfamiliar to say the least. But it vaguely resembled a dream that had invaded her mind years ago.

Lirah fell through the void and landed in...Storm Spire. But it was on a day that she had witnessed. The imprisonment of Aaravos. A day that she never forgot. Only this time...there was no one there. She was facing the mirror alone. But she knew that she wasn’t alone. She knew who was in that mirror. 

Why was she here? Suddenly, her body seemed out of control, and it surged towards the mirror. Stop! She wanted to call out, but her mouth wouldn’t open. Her arm involuntarily reached out and placed its hand on the surface of the mirror. 

Immediately, it flashed and Lirah was suddenly transported into a world that wasn’t hers. When she looked back, she saw the den of Storm Spire, but she wasn’t in it. She was somewhere else. Lirah quickly ran to get out. She needed to get out. To escape. But she couldn’t as she banged on the glass.

Let me out! Whoever you are, you can’t keep me in here! She yelled out, but she didn’t know who she was yelling to. But she knew that someone was there. Suddenly, she flinched as she heard the distant echo of her grandmother’s voice. 

“You will see the outside world, but you will not be able to interact with anyone in it, nor will they be able to communicate with you. This is your fate!” 

The word ‘fate’ echoed across the void. No. This wouldn’t be her fate. Lirah was not meant to be here. Suddenly the scenery shifted to a familiar setting.

Lirah’s eyes widened as the mirror transported her to Lux Aurea. Her home! Maybe if she saw Janai and Khessa, then they could get her out of this mess! Suddenly a flash rang across the sky, and the setting changed. She was still in Lux Aurea, but this wasn’t her Lux Aurea. This Lux Aurea was burning. No. This couldn’t be happening. Where was her family? She needed to get to them! She needed to save them! 

Lirah tried as hard as she could to get through the mirror and to the other side. But she couldn’t. She watched helplessly as her city, her home, burned. Suddenly, the words of the Startouch elf, Ateris, echoed in her mind as he told her of her future. 

The word ‘alone’ rang loudly in her mind. Alone. Alone. Alone. That is all she would ever be. No. She wouldn’t be alone. No. No. No. She could change her fate, her kingdom’s fate. She would. No. Lux Aurea wouldn’t burn. She wouldn’t let it. No. No-

“No!” Lirah sat up with a shout, which immediately woke up Ibis. Her forehead was drenched in sweat and he rushed over to her. 

“Lirah? Lirah! Hey! Look at me. Look at me.” Ibis placed his hands on her shoulders. “Are you alright? What’s going on?” 

Lirah shook her head. “I’m...I’m fine...it’s okay. Just go back to sleep.” 

Ibis gently tilted her chin up so that she could look at him. 

“Lirah,” he spoke softly, “You’re trembling. And I could hear you muttering in your sleep. And your temperature has gone up.”

Lirah once again shook her head. “It was just a bad dream. I assure you, Ibis, I’m fine.” 

Ibis didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t want her to be angry with him. “Okay...but...please let me know if you need anything.” 

Lirah nods and smiled tiredly at Ibis. “I will. Thanks, Ibis.” He nodded to her as he got in his bed and fell asleep. 

Lirah laid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her dream from long ago had returned to her and she didn’t understand why. However, she did know that she didn’t want to go back to sleep out of fear of the nightmare occurring again. But her body acted against her and Morpheus overtook her.

Over the next few days, Lirah was still constantly plagued by the same nightmare, and like before, it sometimes disrupted her training, this time with Runaan, who didn’t appreciate it in the slightest. After the tenth day, Runaan had it. He knew that something was wrong with Lirah, so he took her to the infirmary within the Silvergrove and had a mage check on her. To her dismay, the mage helping her was Talis. Ugh. Ibis’s friend.

The young Moon mage in turn quietly conversed with Runaan about Lirah, then she went over to check her. Lirah shifted away from Talis out of instinct, and the young Moon mage sighed, “Lirah, I need to see what’s wrong. I want to help you.” Lirah snorted but didn’t say anything. She didn’t need her help. It probably wasn’t genuine anyway. She probably only wanted to help her because of Ibis. 

Talis stared at her for a moment, then she began drawing a moon rune and used it on Lirah. Lirah jumped up and prepared to attack her. “What did you just do to me?!” 

Talis raised her hands up in defense. “Relax, I only wanted to see if your mind was under an illusion spell. Don’t worry you’re fine. But I can’t seem to figure out the problem.” 

Lirah rolled her eyes. “You’re such a good healer.” 

Talis frowned at her, but regardless, she still continued to help Lirah. “Just doing my best. But I’m curious. Have you had any trouble with anything lately? Like, physically?” 

Lirah shook her head. “Other than basically getting my butt kicked by Runaan, no.” 

Talis cracked a smile at that, then she sobered up and responded. “How about mentally?” 

Lirah froze and she glanced away. She rubbed her arm self consciously and sighed. “I’ve been having nightmares. Well..just one nightmare actually. I’d prefer not to talk about it.” She didn’t want to mention that she’d had this nightmare many times before she left Lux Aurea. 

Talis, however, knew that Lirah wasn’t telling her the full story, but she didn’t want to pry further and nodded. “I understand. But I think I know of something that can help. Hold on.” She then moved to dig through different cabinets until she found what she was looking for.

“Here. This might help for the time being.” Talis handed her a vile filled with a liquid the color of indigo. 

Lirah held it up to her face and sloshed it. “What is it?” 

Talis smiled at her. “It’s a sleeping potion that you would take before going to sleep. I would give you more, but I wanted to see if it worked for tonight. I recommend taking it right before bed and should it do the trick, you’ll be sleeping peacefully in no time.” 

Lirah nods as she got up. “Thank you for your help. I hope it works.” Talis laughed slightly. “Yeah me too.”

Before she left, Talis called out to Lirah. “Lirah, wait!”

Lirah paused and turned around to face her. “Yeah?”

Talis’ expression changed and she appeared almost nervous as she spoke to Lirah. She fiddled with her hands and glanced at the ground before looking back at her. “Look. I know that you don’t really appreciate me hanging out with Ibis. I understand how close you two are.”

Lirah then eyed her warily, and let Talis continue before she said something that she would regret.

“I just want to say...you don’t have anything to worry about.”

At that, Lirah raised an eyebrow, confused. What was she on about? Frowning slightly, Lirah responded, unsure of what else to say. “Um...thank you?”

Lirah then turned back and left with the potion. She went over to Runaan, who stared emotionlessly at her with his arms crossed. “Did Talis help you with your problem?” 

Lirah shrugged and pushed the last conversation with the Moon mage into the back of her mind. “I’m not sure. We’ll see after tonight.” 

He nodded. “Good. Break time is over, you need to get back to training so let’s go.” Lirah agreed and went with him after making a brief stop at the small home where she and Ibis were staying in order to drop off the potion.

Later that evening, Lirah took a deep breath as she prepared to go to sleep. She was nervous and really hoped that the potion Talis gave her would help her sleep better and get rid of her nightmares, Following Talis’s instructions, she drank the potion right before going to sleep and closed her eyes.

When she found herself in the den at Storm Spire for the umpteenth time, Lirah knew that the potion didn’t work, and the nightmare constantly plagued her once again for days on end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, pleaseeee leave comments and kudos on the chapter if you enjoyed it! Love you guys!


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back!!! It's been a very stressful summer because of online classes, as well as getting involved in other writing projects, but I am basically done with summer school and ready to get back in gear! I've missed you guys so much and I'm so excited that Netflix has finally confirmed that they're going to continue on with TDP! Can't wait to see what the creators do with these last four seasons!
> 
> This chapter was beta-read by one of my best friends [tazwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tazwrites) and I really hope you enjoy it!

One day, Lirah was on break from her constant training with Runaan and she took the time to explore the Silvergrove. She saw Ethari at one of the stables and was surprised to see Ibis with him. He was currently petting one of the Xadian creatures and noticed Lirah heading over to them. “Lirah! Hey! How’s your training with Runaan going?”

Lirah smiled at Ibis, “It’s stressful, but I think it’s going well, although sometimes I think Runaan is annoyed at me when I don’t get something right on the first try.” 

Ethari patted her shoulder sympathetically when Lirah made it over to them. “I apologize on his behalf if he’s being too hard on you. But here, I hope this will act as a stress reliever for you.” He then moved out of the way as a beautiful Xadian moon creature came forth and nudged her shoulder as if asking Lirah to pet her.

Lirah gasped. “Oh my goodness...she’s beautiful. What is she?” 

Ethari smiled at her. “This is Neoma and she is a Shadowpaw. Runaan found her alone in the forest one morning. She was just a wee pup then, and he knew that she wouldn’t survive out there by herself, so he brought her here and I’ve been taking care of her ever since.”

Lirah grinned at him. “Aw, that’s so sweet. I bet she loves you.” 

Ethari laughed. “Oh yes, Neoma follows me almost everywhere whenever I let her out of the stable. One time she even followed me into the forge, but I couldn’t let her go in. Didn’t want her to get injured or anything like that.” 

She nods as the Shadowpaw once again nudged Lirah’s arm and licked her hand, causing the Sunfire elf to giggle. Ethari grins. “She really wants you to pet her. Go ahead. I promise Neoma won’t bite.” At his confirmation, Lirah slowly reached out and gently placed her hand on the Neoma’s nose and the creature, in turn, leaned into her touch.

Lirah gently stroked her fur with a soft expression on her face and ran her hands in between the crease of her eyes. 

“She truly is beautiful…” She replied softly. 

Ethari leaned against Neoma’s stable with a smile. “She really likes you.” 

Ibis, who was standing next to Ethari, was slightly in awe as he watched Lirah interact with the shadowpaw. He had never seen his best friend behave this way, for she always seemed tightly wound or on edge whenever she was with them. She was especially on edge after the constant nightmares that had reappeared to her.

Her face looked relaxed as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her chest. She also had this....glow. Ibis couldn’t put his finger on it, but he hadn’t seen it since they first met as children. For the past few weeks, Lirah seemed plagued by a dream, but she wouldn’t tell him what it was about. Through interacting with the shadowpaw, Lirah looked more at ease than she had felt for weeks, and it showed.

After a few hours of spending time with Neoma, Lirah turned to Ethari. “I hate to leave, but I have to get back to my training with Runaan. He’s probably really mad at me for disregarding his time. I just…I really needed this.” 

Ethari nodded with a soft expression on his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him afterward so that you don’t get in trouble. And I’m glad this gal helped you out Lirah. Feel free to come back here anytime whenever you feel like you need a break from everything.” 

Lirah nods. “I will. Thanks Ethari, and bye Ibis.” She gave a small wave to the two of them as she went back to the forest where Runaan was to finish her training for the day. 

After Lirah left, Ethari turned to Ibis in concern. “You need to tell her the news soon. You can’t keep hiding this from her, Ibis.”

Ibis glanced away in shame. “I know and I’m trying to figure out a day to tell her, but ever since she woke up gasping in the middle of the night, I didn’t want to stress her out even more. Ethari you’ve noticed those dark circles under her eyes. You’ve seen how worn out she is. I can’t add another weight to her shoulders after what she’s already been going through.”

Ethari sighed as he pet Neoma, smiling slightly as she nuzzled her head against his hand. “Yes, I understand what you mean, but regardless, she needs to know.”

Ibis’ shoulders sagged. “I will tell her. Eventually.”

\-------------

That evening, after taking a shower, Lirah climbed in the bed and prepared herself for the nightmare that would come. However, this time, it didn’t happen. For the first time in weeks, Lirah slept peacefully, and she was thankful for the events that had occurred that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, if you enjoyed the chapter then feel free to leave comments and kudos! Oh and don't hesitate to message me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/home)! I would love to make some more TDP friends and discuss theories with y'all! Now...onto Book Five!


End file.
